


A Parting Gift

by angstytimelord



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Gen, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-23
Updated: 2017-12-23
Packaged: 2019-02-19 03:14:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 908
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13114821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angstytimelord/pseuds/angstytimelord
Summary: Will can't help but wonder if Hannibal turning himself in just before Christmas was intended as a sort of parting gift.





	A Parting Gift

This was the first Christmas in a while that he'd felt .... free.

Will stretched his arms above his head, closing his eyes and breathing in deeply of the cold air around him, the scent of wood smoke from his fireplace, and pine trees.

He was free for the first time in what felt like forever. Hannibal was behind bars, and he didn't have to worry about having an unwelcome, surprise visit from him.

He didn't have to act as though he was Hannibal's friend, as if he was becoming enthralled by the evil that the other man emanated like a personal aura. Well, all right, he told himself wryly, maybe Hannibal didnt _emanate_ evil. He actually radiated charm, at least to most people.

But Will had been the one to see through him. Will knew what Hannibal was -- and his experiences in dealing with that sociopath had proven that he was right.

Now, he finally felt free, even though he knew that it was going to be a long time before he was able to stop looking over his shoulder. But that was a small price to pay for his freedom.

Now, he could finally start to live his life again.

That thought made him pause, a frown forming between his brows. Had he really been living before he had met Hannibal and it had all started? Or had he been merely existing?

He hadn't really had much of a life, if he was going to be completely honest. He enjoyed teaching at the FBI Academy, of course, but other aspects of his life weren't so pleasant.

He had been burnt out on working with Jack's team long ago. And even though he'd told Jack repeatedly that he didn't know how long he could be of sevice to them, Jack had been relentless about pushing him onwards, only seeing the accolades that came to them through Will's work.

Will was sure that somewhere deep within him, Jack actually _did_ care that he was burning out. But he never showed it, never acted as though Will's well-being mattered to him.

And when Hannibal had framed him for murder, Jack had been one of the people who had been convinced that Will, who he'd said was his friend, had actually done it.

That hurt much more than Will wanted to admit. He had considered Jack a friend, as well as his boss and colleague at the FBI, and knowing that Jack actually believed he was capable of such gruesome, grisly murders, especially the murders of innocent people, made his heart ache.

Fortunately, it hadn't taken Jack long to see the light -- and to agree to help him trap Hannibal. That first trap hadn't worked, but he had eventually been caught.

Though at what price? Will shivered as his thoughts went back to the time he'd spent as Mason Verger's captive. That was something that still gave him horrible nightmares.

But it was over now, he reminded himself. It was all in the past.

It was over and done with, Hannibal was in jail where he belonged, and Will was here -- back at his home, with his dogs, and reinstated as a training professor at the Academy.

He reputation had been cleared, and he had received praise for finally capturing Hannibal. Though a part of him knew that he hadn't been the one to catch Hannibal at all.

No, Hannibal had turned himself in. He had gone out of his way to do so, when he could have so easily gotten away. Will still didn't know why it had happened, and he didn't want to try to guess why. There was no telling how the devious pathways of Hannibal's twisted mind worked.

Was it something of a last Christmas gift to him? Will almosted wanted to smile at that idea, even though it seemed as though it could possibly be the truth.

Still, he didn't that Hannibal was so sentimental. And he certainly didn't think that Hannibal had any softer feelings for him. Not after the other man had tried to hard to kill him so many times.

But .... Hannibal _had_ saved his life. And for that, he was grateful.

If it wasn't for Hannibal, he wouldn't be standing here on his own front porch, the dogs romping in the snow, feeling as though he had been given a second lease on life.

Maybe Hannibal _had_ intended what he'd done to be a gift. And Will was determined not to squander that gift. He would make the most of it, of the second chance he'd been given.

He could so easily be dead now, just another statistic. He was going to remember that every day of his life, and he was never going to let a day go by without feeling thankful that he'd been given this chance. He might have his battle scars and bad memories, but at least he was alive to feel them.

It almost seemed as though this freedom that he felt was Hannibal's parting gift to him -- and if that was so, then it was a good gift, indeed. One that he would always appreciate.

Will took another deep breath, squaring his shoulders. Today was the first day of the rest of his life. A life that he would enjoy living, a life that meant more to him than he could ever express.

He was never going to take anything in that life for granted again.


End file.
